Last frost, first buds, and other big news

Somehow, I had the mistaken idea that it was March 22 this year, so I missed the chance to mark the official occasion. Well, I hope some of you were more on the ball and remembered to bark at the supermoon in celebration.

Meanwhile, there are always plenty of spring events to notice and record. I like to write down in our garden journal when we notice certain birds returning, when various trees and flowers bloom, and when the last frost occurs. (Right now, the last frost at our house stands at March 14. It’s always interesting to me how in lower spots than our hillside home, frosts occur more frequently. Makes one realize how the "last frost" date for a given region can be quite inaccurate for specific spots within that region.)

Recording these kinds of things isn’t just a way of paying attention, or a fun ritual, though it is both of those. It’s also a way to gather data that’s useful in gardening and helps us know our spot on the earth more intimately. After we’ve been here 10 years and have that many last frosts recorded, I’ll be able to calculate a halfway meaningful average last frost for our house. And I can notice if it seems to be changing.

This is basic planet knowledge. If you’re Derrick Jensen, you go one step further and actually get your hands dirty to save some of your neighboring creatures when your observations reveal that they’re dying off. I think that’s admirable. So are the lovely maple blossom photos on Piedmont Discovery’s blog. Marking the arrival of a new season is practical, and it’s beautiful, too.

It may have been over 10 years since Howie Day crooned the earworm lyrics “even the best fall down sometimes” over the soaring melody of his acoustic guitar in his platinum single “Collide,” but his star hasn’t fallen yet. The Maine native’s heartfelt songs have gained a devoted audience with

When Lawrence Gaughan announced in April his latest bid for office—he ran for the 5th District congressional seat last year and this year is running for the Albemarle Board of Supervisors—he made his announcement at the Bamboo House way up U.S. 29 practically in Greene County, and noted in a

On July 29, three Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers and UVA graduates filed a complaint against Rolling Stone, Wenner Media and journalist Sabrina Erdely in U.S. District Court for the now-discredited and retracted November 2014 story titled “A Rape on Campus,” which described the alleged gang

I dream a lot. I have vivid, semi-hallucinatory dreams, the kind that feel logical and totally substantial until I’m breathing underwater or watching a tulip tree melt onto the sidewalk. I sense sun on my skin and words in my mouth, and my captivation is so complete that my conscious mind can

So here’s the current conventional political wisdom about Virginia: a once-reliable Republican bastion that has, in recent years, drifted toward the Democrats in presidential election years due to a certain charismatic candidate (hint: his name rhymes with Shmarock Mobana), and has therefore

He may be new to the solo Americana scene, but don’t consider him a musical novice. When Matthew E. White was 11, he took up the drums and played with such gusto that his mother signed him up for guitar lessons. “She paid for my lessons so that I’d learn how to play guitar; she […]

I saw the TV ad for the wing eating contest. I texted to enter. I got a text back: “You are entered into the Battle of the Braveheart Wing Off Challenge! Prepare thy gullet.” I prepared my gullet. As challenge day drew near, I felt like something was up. Wouldn’t they contact me to let me know

The business known as Readings by Catherine on U.S. 29 north became even more intriguing when it was raided by federal officers last summer. No charges were filed, and its owner, Sandra Marks, 40, a.k.a. Catherine Marks, disappeared until she was arrested last week and appeared at a bond

It’s affordable, actually sustainable and certainly not the modern American lifestyle most have become accustomed to, with multiple cars per family, smart phones for everyone and streaming video on demand. The 5-year-old project called Living Energy Farm is an off-the-grid,

Republican City Council candidate Anson Parker is not the first person running for office with an arrest record—Wes Bellamy had his own bout with unresolved traffic tickets two years ago. Parker has racked up three arrests for public drunkenness since 2006, with the most recent in January of

Ownership scramble cooking at Bluegrass Grill & Bakery Chrissy Benninger’s been part owner of Bluegrass Grill & Bakery for more than five years. Just a couple months ago, she got a bee in her bonnet to make serious changes. Why now? She’s bought out her partners, Jim and Lalah Simcoe,

Five people were killed in four separate car accidents last week, and four of those deaths occurred within 48 hours. The high number of vehicular deaths in such a short amount of time is unusual, according to Carter Johnson, spokesperson for the Albemarle County Police Department, “We’ve had

A 2011 Dodge Avenger left running in the parking lot at Guadalajara with a baby in the backseat July 26 rolled across Market Street and crashed into a truck in the parking lot beside the Charlottesville Recreation Center. The baby was unharmed, according to Charlottesville Police’s Steve Upman.

“I’m proud of what we’ve done for more than 21 years. It’s the little guys, the small business that really get to make an impact on the community,” says Mark Tramontin, owner of Sneak Reviews. This month, the local video store closes its doors, marking the end of one of Charlottesville’s most

On Monday, McGraw Hill Financial announced it had signed a definitive agreement to buy Charlottesville-based SNL Financial for $2.225 billion in cash from privately held New Mountain Capital. Jason Feuchtwanger from McGraw Hill says his company is committed to Charlottesville as a strategic

Few things make a bigger impact on your home’s appearance—whether new construction or remodeling—than the siding you choose. Not only can the right siding make your place look great, it protects from damage from wind, weather, humidity, and insects. Unlike the Three Little Pigs, few people in

Though difficult to read and even harder to pronounce, Sliabh Luachra, a region in southern Ireland on the border of Cork and Kerry, has birthed a rich style of music that is easy on the ears. Jackie Daly is renowned for his talented instrumentals, heralded by the New York Times as “probably

I’m one of those people who cleans compulsively. I snap into straighten up mode when I feel overwhelmed by the number of notebooks on the sideboard, of unattended flip-flops by the door, of projects on my inexhaustible to-do list. In my world, order reigns as a reflex—a knee-jerk to save me

Since dropping out of college 15 years ago to become a writer and comedian, Tennessee native Stewart Huff’s star has been rising on the national and international horizons. Get to know his original and refreshing humor at the latest installment of the Laugh Your Ass Off Comedy Showcase, where

You have two options this summer: You can take Hollywood’s nostalgia bait and buy a ticket to one of its myriad sequels, prequels, reboots and spiritual successors to your favorite movies. Or you can call their bluff and just enjoy classic films on your own time, free from all the retconning